


Listen To Your Heart

by angelus2hot



Category: Stolen Women Captured Hearts (1997)
Genre: Community: smallfandomfest, F/M, Fluff, Native American Character, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-28
Updated: 2012-07-28
Packaged: 2017-11-17 01:35:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/546191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelus2hot/pseuds/angelus2hot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Her duty tells her to leave but her heart begs her to stay.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Listen To Your Heart

**Author's Note:**

> **Title:** Listen To Your Heart  
>  **Fandom:** Stolen Women Captured Hearts  
>  **Rating:** PG-13  
>  **Word Count:** 1,167  
>  **Characters/Pairing:** Tokalah/Anna  
>  **Summary:** Her duty tells her to leave but her heart begs her to stay.  
>  **A/N:** written for smallfandomfest Fest 11 and my 12_stories table [Here](http://angelus2hot.livejournal.com/235626.html)

[ ](http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v520/Angelus2hot/Land%20of%20Art/?action=view&current=listentoyourheartficbanner.jpg)

Darkness surrounded her as she crept slowly out of the village. Part of her was urging her to turn around, go back and pretend as if she had never even thought about leaving him. But she couldn’t. Although, she was almost positive that she could be happy with him, happier than she had ever been in her whole life; she didn’t have the right to stay. She belonged to someone else. Even though it had been an arranged marriage she knew it was her duty to find her way back to him even if that meant leaving a part of herself behind. And she had no doubt her heart was staying behind with him.

With a shake of her head, she turned and headed quickly past the horses. She couldn’t deny she was tempted to take one. It would get her back to where she was going... Huh, she couldn’t even think of that as home because her heart knew where home was. With him. Tears fell down her face as she patted his favorite horse before she turned and walked away.

She had to get away. She had to leave him now. This was her only chance. If she stayed any longer she knew she would give in. She would belong to him body, heart and soul. Forever. And that frightened her more than being a captive ever had.

 

Tokalah leaned against the tree and watched silently as the woman he wanted walked out of the village. He couldn’t believe she was leaving him, the one who offered her everything. He cringed as those words filled his head. But there were no other words to describe it, she was leaving him behind. 

_No! She would not leave him! He would not let her go._ “Where are you going, Anna?”

At the sound of his voice, she jumped as if she were shot. She had been so intent on leaving she hadn’t noticed him standing there. She stared at him with huge round eyes, unable to speak.

“Where do you go, Anna?” Disapproval flared his nostrils as he folded his arms across his chest and stared down at her. 

Her body trembled; although she wasn’t sure if it was from fear or some other as yet unnamed feeling. She didn’t think he would hurt her for trying to escape. Or at least she hoped not. So what then was this feeling coursing through her body as she looked up into his dark eyes?

“Anna.”

“I...” She swallowed hard and tried again. “I can’t stay, Tokalah. Please, you have to understand. I don’t belong here. I have to go back.”

“No. You can not leave. Your place is with me. You belong with Tokalah.”

She shook her head sadly. “I can’t belong to you. I already have a husband.”

“A husband you cry for during the day? A husband you yearn for at night? No. You do not do any of these things. Tokalah has seen the way you look at him. I have seen the way your eyes follow me, roaming my body as if you yearn to touch me.” He stood and walked closer to her until there was only mere inches between them. “You do not have to hold yourself back, Anna. I am here. I am yours. You may touch me whenever you wish.

Unable to make a sound, Anna’s mouth hung open in shock at his words. How could he make her feel things with mere words that no other man had ever made her feel? Even on her wedding night, she never felt as she did in this moment listening to Tokalah’s words. She wanted to throw herself in his arms. To take everything that he was offering and hold on to it with both hands. “I can’t. I belong to.....”

Her words trailed off as Tokalah grabbed her hand and placed it on his bare chest, right above his heart. “You do not belong to another. You belong only to Tokalah. Forever.”

“Tokalah, I ca...”

He quickly placed a finger against her lips. “Listen to your heart, Anna. Not your mind; not your sense of duty, but your heart.” His finger gently traced the outline of her lips before he slowly moved his hand to cup her cheek. “What is it saying to you? Is it telling you to leave? Never to be with me?”

“But what about Da...”

Once more he quickly interrupted. He couldn’t hear another man’s name coming from her lips, especially one who she thought had a previous claim to her. Maybe it was time for a different tactic. After all there was more than one way to win a war. And Tokalah knew he was fighting for his life, his very existence. For without Anna he wouldn’t want to be.

“There is no one but you and me. Do you wish to leave me? Never to see me again. Never to gaze upon my face, my body, to be able to touch me at will. To have me do the same with you.” He slowly removed his hand from her face and took a small step backwards. “If that is your wish than I will let you go.”

_But I thought he said that he wouldn’t let me go? What had happened to change his mind?_

She was unaware she had spoken out loud until he answered her.

He reached up and brushed a tear from her eyes. “I can not continue to be the cause of your tears. I won’t keep you against your will any longer. Even though your love is the one thing I want most in this lifetime, I am Lakota, my pride refuses to allow me to beg.”

Anna glanced down between them, where her hand was still placed firmly on his chest even though he wasn’t holding it there and he had taken a step back she had unconsciously moved with him in order to keep contact with him.

He bent his head and stared down at her. He could see her eyes were glued to where her hand met his chest. “Do you still wish to leave, Anna? Or is your heart finally going to be allowed to speak?”

Tears ran fast and furious down her cheeks as she gazed up into Tokalah’s eyes. How could she have even thought for one moment about leaving him? He was everything she had ever wanted in a man and everything she had been positive she would never receive. 

She took a step closer, closing the distance between them. “My heart speaks for Tokalah. I want only Tokalah.”

With a shout, Tokalah closed his arms around her, picked her up to bring her lips closer to his. As his mouth closed over hers a jolt of pure joy went through him. Now that she had followed her heart, he was glad he wouldn’t have to go back on his word. Because no matter what occurred he would never have let her go.


End file.
